Gettysburg: Day 9

Sadly, today was our last day and I am writing to you from the airport floor in Baltimore. Today we went to Gettysburg and I must say...I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it. I loved seeing it, don't get me wrong, but the Civil War is one of the most difficult historical events to study for me simply because my meager mind can't conjure the image of thousands of Americans lying on the ground, charging at each other, and killing each other. The amount of people involved...mind boggling. It's also strange to me because the entire battlefield we saw today was beautiful farmland and it looked like home. I couldn't imagine thousands of soldiers happening across my home (as this battle happened spontaneously), clashing, shooting, and bombarding each other with ammunition in constant, loud roars. The 52,000 casualties including 6,000 dead is also just incredible to think about as it is still the bloodiest battle in American Military History. 

   The grounds themselves were beautiful, with over one thousand monuments scattered around throughout it. We drove around the park, stopping at important places that represented significant battle events over the course of those first three hot days in July of 1863. We also visited the Gettysburg National Cemetery and saw the spot that Lincoln gave that moving Address. I must say, it's a somber feeling looking out over that hallowed ground with his words ringing in my mind...it was beautiful and certainly gave me more perspective on the War in general and how it must have affected the average civilians that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I hope nothing like that ever happens on our soil again...hopefully, if great Americans continue to visit places like that, and if General Chsmberlains words have any truth, perhaps we can solve our future problems more peacefully, yet I do know that sometimes men must fight. 

  "In great deeds something abides, on Great fields something stays. Forms change and pass, bodies disappear, but spirits linger...and reverent men and women from afar and generations that we know not of....are drawn to see where great things were suffered and done for them."

I've made it onto the plane, now, and I have conflicting feelings (as usual) about ending this adventure and going back to reality. However, I have these great memories with these wonderful people (who only a week ago were complete strangers) to look back on. Knowing that, makes it easier to say goodbye to this short excerpt in my life and welcome the next one with open arms. So goodbye for now and see you soon.